Christmas Present
by MiniHayden
Summary: Paulina's felt a connection with the Ghost Boy and, strangely, Danny Fenton ever since her visit to the water park. Now it's Christmas all she wants is a chance to get close to Inviso-bill. Will someone's secret be exposed if she goes too far?
1. Prologue

**Me: Hey everybody! Merry Christmas!**

**Danny: YEAH! **

**Me: I've had this fic planned out and written since October, and I'm going to post another chapter each for 12 days.**

**Danny: Get it? 12 days of Christmas? Twelve chapters?**

**Me: I think they understand, Daniel darling.**

**Danny: oh… OK…**

**Me: Before we start, I just wanted to mention Paulina's character. In this fic I have made her less shallow than usual, otherwise it would be so boring to write. I hope I have still made it somewhat realistic… *drifts off into thought***

**Danny: *coughs***

**Me: …So sorry if she is OOC or if Danny is when he talks to her.**

**Danny: Anyway guys, enjoy!**

_**Christmas Present, Chapter 1**_

"Bye Star!" I called out, waving at her through the car window as we drove away from her house. She smiled back, then shivered from the cold December air and hurried inside, her hands full of bags.

We had been shopping for Christmas presents earlier and I had gone to her house after, as Dad hadn't yet come home from work and therefore couldn't take me home. Mum was away on a business trip in a foreign country somewhere.

"Did you have a nice day, sweetie?" my father asked from the front seat.

"Yep!" I said happily, "I bought loads of stuff!"

I heard Dad groan inwardly. "How much did you spend this time?"

"Only a few hundred dollars," I replied, sinking back into my seat. I knew very well that Dad hated it when I spent loads of his money, but sometimes I just couldn't help myself. It was the same for Star, although her parent weren't as frugal as mine.

"Well," he sighed, "that is an improvement from last time."

I smiled slightly, glad that he wasn't too mad. Dad was hard to read sometimes, even more when I couldn't see his face. His eyes were fixed firmly on the dark road in front of us, the headlights as bright as they could be.

It was actually quite late in the evening, about ten o'clock. Snow was setting on the ground a little bit earlier than usual this year, so it was a good thing I had bought gloves. Taking them out of one of my many bags, I slipped them on and rubbed my numb hands together, greeting the warmth.

I heard Dad turn the radio on a low volume. A song began to play that I didn't recognise, so I soon got tired of it and pulled out my iPod, switching it on and putting the headphones in my ears. Dumpty Humpty came on and I quietly hummed the melody, nodding to the beat.

Yawning, I turned my head to look out the window. It was a clear night despite the snow on the ground, and I could make out the bright stars in the sky. The night and the chilly air always seemed special around Christmas time and I sighed happily, half awake. It wasn't long before I began to shut my eyes, and drift off into that strange reality just before sleep that mixed your dreams with real life and you didn't know what was real and what wasn't.

I woke up, startled when I heard a door slam shut. Groggily, I lifted my head, brushed the loose strands of hair out of my face and looked around, wondering why Dad had stopped the car. The engine was switched off and the radio was no longer playing any music.

Then I spotted Dad. He was outside in the middle of the icy road, and I took my headphones out as I saw we were in a massive traffic jam. Curious, I buttoned up my pink coat and opened the car door, stepping out into the night.

"What's happening?" I asked as I walked up to him, my boots making crunching noises as I stepped in the thin layer of snow that had settled.

Dad shook his head and folded his arms dismissively. "I have no idea," he answered honestly, "I heard some sort of explosion earlier, and people keep saying it's a ghost attack. I can't see anything from way back here though."

"Ghosts?" I wondered, half to myself, "like Inviso-bill?"

"I suppose so," I heard Dad mumble.

An image of the white-haired boy appeared in my mind. He had saved me before, once when loads of ghosts were attacking. He was cute for a ghost and I smiled slightly, wondering if it was him fighting in the distance.

Suddenly I heard a loud crash and the sky flashed neon green, temporarily blinding me and causing me to close my eyes and cover my ears. I let out a small whimper and felt Dad's arms around me, making me feel like I was five again.

"It's just ghosts," I heard him say softly, "there's no need to be scared of them, Paulina."

I had always been a daddy's girl. Mum was the money-maker in the family, with her clothing line and modelling agency. I hardly ever saw her, and when she was at home I never really felt a connection with her, like a girl should with their mother. I would always stay by Dad's side instead, letting him read me stories and watch me paint messy pictures with my fingers. But Mum was to blame for my obsession with fashion. Throughout my life she had been constantly fitting me with clothes of her own design, asking me if I liked them and such. I always agreed with a smile.

Dad let go of me and I stood up again, looking out and straining my neck to see the fight. Despite my best efforts, I could see nothing.

"I don't know why you would want to see," Dad said after a while, "ghosts are dangerous. You wouldn't want to mess with them, Paulina."

"OK, Daddy," I said quietly.

But was Inviso-bill really dangerous? All he ever seemed to do was help people. I leaned against the car. Ever since a few months ago new reports on ghosts had become more and more frequent. They seemed to have come out of nowhere.

"Look out!" I heard someone scream.

Puzzled, I turned in the direction of the voice and all I could see was something hurtling through the air towards me, travelling so fast the shape was a complete blur.

Screaming myself, I jumped out of the way, slipping on the icy road as I landed. I felt my knee hit the floor and pain jolted through my body, causing me to cry out.

"Paulina!" my Dad shouted from somewhere in the distance.

"Dad…" I groaned, sitting up slowly and wincing.

"Are you OK?" I heard a voice ask, but it wasn't Dad.

Turning round, I saw a figure walking in my direction.

"Inviso-bill!" I breathed. I tried to stand up, but for some reason my legs wouldn't listen to me and they stayed where they were, refusing to move until the pain subsided.

"Don't move," he said hurriedly, noticing my attempt at standing up, "I can see blood coming through your jeans, Paulina."

_Paulina. _He knew my name.

"Really?" I looked down at my leg. A large red patch was spreading around my knee and I shouted in shock, then blushed when Inviso-bill crouched down to take a look.

He rolled up my jeans to just above the knee and I flinched from the cold. His hand was even colder though.

"It looks bad," he admitted.

"Oh no…" I groaned, refusing to look at the wound.

"You must have landed quite hard," the boy observed.

"yeah," I nodded.

There was a slightly awkward silence for a moment.

"Put pressure on it," Inviso-bill instructed, "it will stop the blood and the wound will heal quicker."

"Alright," I put my hands on my knee and pressed hard, then winced and stopped. "It hurts," I complained.

"Do you want it to get better or not?" his tone became slightly more severe.

"Uh… yeah," I said quickly, not looking at him in the eye. This was a chance to spend time with Inviso-bill and I was making a complete fool of myself.

I groaned inwardly and pressed my hands against my knee again, trying not to show to him that I was in pain.

After a while I felt the bleeding slow down and I took my hand away. My palm was caked in blood and my eyes widened when I saw it.

Inviso-bill must have noticed it too, because he sat down beside me and said, "It looks worse than what it is."

Suddenly I heard a loud, angry cry coming from not too far away. Inviso-bill looked up within seconds and got onto his feet.

"I have to go," he said after a short pause, "your dad's over there, behind that car." Inviso-bill pointed to our right. "He'll hear you if you call out for him again."

I nodded and watched, slightly sad, as Inviso-bill launched himself off into the sky, flying in the direction of his enemy.

**Danny: Well that's it for this chapter! Hope you enjoyed it!  
>Me: And Merry Christmas everybody! <strong>

**Danny: There's another important notice about Hayden's other fics on her profile, which all you guys should read.**

**Me: Until tomorrow everyone!**

**Danny: See ya!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Me: Hey everyone! Welcome to chapter two!**

**Danny: I hope you enjoyed the last one, which was actually kind of a prologue, although we forgot to mention that. Whoops…**

**Me: The story really starts to get a plot in this chapter, with a teeny bit of angst mixed in with some other stuff.**

**Danny: Well then, hope you like this one!**

**Me: Replies to the two lovely people who reviewed yesterday, taking the time during Christmas day to comment on my story:**

**Oak Leaf Ninja: **Thank you very much! And I love your pen name. Ninjas are so cool XD

**Hdjs: **Thanks! Here's the next one!

_**Christmas Present, Chapter 2**_

Dinners were always strangely formal at my house when it was just me and Dad, even though we usually got along so well. We sat at opposite ends of the mahogany table with a bottle of wine for my father set in the middle. The one out for him at that moment was half-filled with deep red liquid. His glass contained another portion of it and the rest, I guessed, was in his stomach. I had bandaged my knee as soon as I got home and not told my father anything, for reasons which I didn't even understand myself.

Dad shuffled in his seat, visibly worried. I knew for a fact that he only drunk alcohol to dampen his anxiety, so something of significance was clearly troubling him.

I looked up at Dad, trying to work out what could be wrong. He shuffled again, this time clearly aware of my gaze.

"Paulina," he said hesitantly, "me and your mother have decided something together."

"Decided _together_?" I sat up straight, curious, "so you've spoken to her recently?"

"Yes," he replied, "over the phone. But I don't think it's the kind of news you'd be expecting, sweetie."

"And?" I asked, wanting him to get the point but nervous about what he could say, "what did you talk about then?"

"Well," he spoke softly, "we've decided that we don't want to be together anymore."

My eyed widened and I felt the whole world collapse around me. The dining room suddenly seemed twice the size and Dad looked tiny compared to it, just like how I felt. Mum and Dad… were splitting up? What was I supposed to say to that? It was just so… sudden.

"You're… you're… getting a divorce?" I stammered the only logical sentence that was swimming around inside my head.

Dad refused to look me in the eye. He kept his gaze firmly fixed on his dinner and didn't make an effort to look up. "We've decided it's for the best. Best for you I mean. Me and your mother hardly ever see each other anymore, Paulina, and we're aware of the pressure that it puts on you. It just doesn't work. But we both love you and it's… not your fault. That's all I want you to know, OK? It's not your fault, Paulina, it's not your fault." He kept saying those words over and over again, as if they meant comfort to him, to convince himself that I would be OK about it all.

"Don't worry, it's alright," I said quietly, my eyes beginning to water, "I completely understand, Dad." And with that I set my cutlery back down on the table and stood up.

"We are you going?" he asked, startled, as he watched me leave.

"To my room," I answered as simply and abruptly as I could, my voice breaking at the end.

I ran out of the room and up the stairs towards my bedroom.

When I got there, I threw myself onto the bed, my head buried in the pile of pink feathered pillows and my hands around my doll. It was one of the few things other than clothes Mum had brought back with her after long business trips and I held it sacred. I always used to dress it up in things that were too small for me. And now I probably wasn't going to see her again, let alone get any more stuff.

I knew I never usually paid too much attention to Mum but now she was really gone and I had no idea what to do. I didn't feel particularly _sad_, it was just more the shock of it all that was getting to me.

And how would I tell Star and my other friends? My main reason for my popularity was Mum's job. Having a mother who was the head of a modelling agency to everyone else was amazing and they all looked up to me because of it. Now she was gone I wasn't sure what was going to happen socially to me. Would she come back to our house to say goodbye, or would she move straight out? Would she stay for Christmas, or just send a card? Would she move to far away for me to visit her regularly? Or at all? Or even worse, would I have to go with her and leave my friends behind?

I didn't think I could cope with that.

Everybody knows that starting a new school in the middle of a year was hard. And how long would it take me to climb the popularity ladder again? Hours? Days? Weeks? _Months_? I honestly didn't know how I would get by without all of that attention.

And not forgetting Inviso-bill. He would protect me if I moved away. He would stay right here in Amity Park. After all, people say that the town was his haunt, his obsession. A ghost might not have the ability to survive away from the last piece of evidence they hold of their previous life. But he seemed so strong. He didn't act like other ghosts, as I had experienced. But what made him so different? Why did he choose to help people instead of hinder them? To me, he was a hero, not a villain. The way he had helped me with my knee and stayed by my side for as long as he could – no evil ghost would have done that. And then he went straight back to fighting again. Maybe if I tried hard enough, I could be as strong as him.

Which was funny in the sense that I was older than him – well, appearance-wise. He could have been a thousand years old for all I knew. But he did act like he was only fourteen, so I wasn't too sure.

"Paulina!" my dad's voice came from the other side of my locked bedroom door, "let me in. Please, we need to talk about this properly, sweetie."

"You already told me what was going to happen!" I felt anger boil up inside of me. I was being horrid, I knew that, but for some reason I just couldn't help it.

"I just wanted to explain to you that you're staying right here with me," his voice was blunt, defeated, "I've decided it's better that way. You won't have to go through the process of making new friends again. I know you're happy at Casper."

I grunted in agreement and rolled over to face the window, still refusing to let Dad in. In the distance I could see the tiny, floating figure of the Ghost Boy fighting again. Wouldn't it be amazing to fly? Total, complete freedom. The perfect solution to every worry and every problem. Being a ghost must have been so cool, minus the dead part.

Sliding out from the blankets, I walked over to my phone, which I had set down on a small table next to my TV earlier when I arrived home. I knew it was late, but I needed to speak to someone. And there was only one person who would listen to me if I refused to talk to Dad.

"Hello?" I heard Star's tired voice as she picked up.

"Hi Star, it's me," I said, unsure exactly what I was supposed to say.

"Paulina?" her voice perked up a bit slightly when she recognised me, "it's so late. Why are you calling me? You haven't forgotten anything at my place, have you?"

I couldn't tell if she was angry or not to hear from me at one o'clock in the morning. It had taken me and Dad so long to get home and we'd had dinner only just after midnight.

"I…I just wanted to check if you're OK," I lied, "there was a massive ghost attack on the way home, and-"

"I'm absolutely fine, Paulina. Can I _please_ go back to sleep now? You're my best girlfriend and all, but…"

"Yeah, I get it," I replied when she stopped in the middle of her sentence, "I think I'll hang up now, OK? 'Night."

"'Night," she said sleepily.

Yawning, I set my phone back down again and walked slowly up to the window, sliding on my slippers as I went. There was no way I was going to get any sleep tonight, that was for sure.

"Paulina, sweetie?" Dad's voice sounded again from the other side of my bedroom door, "who were you talking to just now? I hope you didn't try to wake Star up again."

Ignoring him, I continued to look out of the window up at the dark sky. The Ghost Boy was still there. Did ghosts ever get tired? Could he go on fighting forever and never wear out? He wouldn't ever get out of breath, I knew that for sure. _Everyone _knew that ghosts didn't breathe. They were dead, after all.

I stayed still until I heard a defeated sigh from my dad and the sound of fading footsteps.

Cautiously, I tiptoed over to my door and unlocked it, opening it up just enough see get a good view of the hall. It was completely empty.

Dad had obviously given up trying to comfort me. Not that he had done a good job in the first place, mind.

I then opened the door fully, being careful to do it extra slowly so that it wouldn't creak. Stepping outside, I shuffled quietly along the corridor and down the stairs.

The door to the front room was closed and I could hear the muffled sound of the TV coming from inside it.

Sneaking past, I reached for my coat and boots, then I slipped them on. I knew I was going to go outside, probably to head towards Inviso-bill. That was all I could think of to do. My brain never regarded the time and before I knew it, I was opening the front door and stepping out into the cold night, walking down the street and not knowing exactly which way I was going to go.

**Danny: And… le fin…. On le cliffy.**

**Me: Awww, Danny's trying to do French! How cute XD**

**Danny: *grumbles* I would just trying to add variety. I say the same thing every chapter, Hayden.**

**Me: Fair enough. And remember guys, review! It's the only way I know if you like it or not!**

**Danny: Bye for now! See you tomorrow!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Me: Welcome to chapter 3! **

**Danny: YAY!**

**Me: Sorry this one isn't as long as yesterday's – that was a special treat for you all :)**

**Danny: With chapter 3 comes the disclaimer: Hayden doesn't own me.**

**Me: Replies! Replies!**

**ckittykatty:** And here is your le reply! Chapter 3 for you ;)

**SailorSea:** Is the next day quick enough? Thanks for reviewing!

**Inuyuke:** AHHH you're back! (I thought I got rid of you after you didn't review chapter 1) JUST KIDDING! Thanks for reviewing, my lovely stalker :)

**Oak Leaf Ninja:** Trust me, I can't believe I'm writing a Paulina fic. Stupid plot bunnies… thanks for reviewing!

**aslan333:** Thanks!

_**Christmas Present, Chapter 3**_

"Paulina?" Danny looked at me with disbelief in his tired blue eyes. He was wearing his casual blue jeans and white shirt, and his hair was messier than usual, as if I had somehow woken him up. Didn't he wear pyjamas in bed?

"Uh, hi," I said, not looking at him in the eye as I walked up the icy front steps to his home, "I didn't know this was your house, Danny."

I had been walking for God knows how long, and after a while I had lost sight of the Ghost Boy. The only thing I could think of to do was to head in the direction I had seen him last.

"Well, it has the massive 'Fenton' sign." He checked his watch. "3am? I had no idea it was this early! And what are you doing here anyway?"

"Uh…" I felt myself take a few steps back, slipping slightly on the frozen ground, "I…"

"You're not trying to use me as one of your fake dates again are you? I'm over all that Paulina. Go and ask Dash. Or here's a better idea – go home and get warmed up. It's the middle of December, for God's sake." His voice was verging on the edge or sarcasm.

He started to shut the door, but I put my foot in the way subconsciously, not really sure what I was supposed to say next.

"Fenton – I mean, Danny…" I began, then faltered and made an embarrassing squeak.

He stood still directly in front of me, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. He looked a lot more confident and cocky than when he was at school. So what was it that made everyone pick on him? His personality right now seemed so… self-assured.

"My parents are getting a divorce!" I shouted hurriedly before I could stop myself. I covered my mouth with my freezing hands and quickly turned my head away to avoid looking at his expression.

Silence followed and I felt Danny's gaze on my back. The heat from his house was beginning to seep out of the door, warming me a little and making my breath less visible.

"A divorce?" I heard him step outside, "Paulina that's… that's bad."

"I know," I whispered, wishing the ground would swallow me up. It was hard enough to tell Star, so much so I couldn't. But for Fenton to find out? It was too embarrassing to even think about it.

I could tell that he hesitated before he spoke, "Paulina, do you want to come inside? It's freezing out here."

"That would be… nice," I replied quietly, still looking at my feet as I turned round.

I followed the boy inside and found myself in the front room. Despite it being so early, all the lights were on and I could hear voices coming from the direction of the kitchen.

"My parents are kind of scientists," he said, as if reading my mind, "They get up really early every morning to check their stuff and warm up all the lab equipment. I never manage to get back sleep after I hear everything turn on, so I usually get up anyway."

Was that why he was always so tired in class? I always saw him with his head down on the desk snoring, even sometimes when Mr Lancer didn't. Dash kept trying to find different ways to wake him up, with things like paper aeroplanes and spit balls.

"Scientists, huh?" I repeated, not really sure how to reply to the information, "that's cool."

At least they were happy together.

"Want something to drink?" I heard him ask.

"Anything warm, I guess," I answered, still cold even though I was now inside.

He nodded slightly and headed towards the kitchen.

Deciding there was nothing to do, I followed him.

The kitchen was surprisingly big. The walls were painted a greenish-yellow, and a grey round table sat in the middle of the tiled floor. Another door at the back of the room was where Danny's parents' muffled voices were coming from, but it was closed so I couldn't see inside.

"I hope coffee's OK," Danny interrupted my thoughts, "we haven't done our Christmas shopping yet." He laughed awkwardly.

"It's fine," I replied, walking over to him.

He handed me a bright orange mug with a man's face on. Steaming coffee sat inside. I took a small sip then instantly stopped.

"Oh, sorry if it's hot," he added quickly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't worry… it's… fine," I said.

"Danny!" I heard a man's voice, "who's that with you that I hear? It's not Jazz!" A man in his forties opened the door at the back of the kitchen. He was particularly large with greying hair and blue eyes. They were less intense as Danny's though, dimmed with age. He was wearing an orange haz-mat suit and was holding something which I guessed was some kind of soup thermos. Judging from the dance the school held a while ago, he was Danny's egotistical loud-mouthed father, Jack Fenton.

"This is Paulina," Danny said, signalling for me to stay quiet as he began to talk.

"And she is here because…?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Didn't I tell you?" I was surprised Danny was able to lie so convincingly as he spoke, "she's working on a school project with me. About temperature changes at night. For science."

Jack narrowed his eyes for a second, but then he just shrugged and walked back into the room from which he had emerged, closing the door behind him and muttering something about how school gave out too much homework.

"Wow Danny," I said as I heard the talking start again, "you're Dad's so… so…"

"Gullible?" he suggested.

"Yeah."

We stood in silence for a while as I took experimental sips of my coffee, being careful not to burn my tongue.

"Aren't you going to drink anything?" I asked him.

He shrugged and shook his head, "nah, not thirsty. So why are you out here anyway?"

"I guess… I just wanted to be away from Dad for a while," I replied, mentally slapping myself with each word. Why was I telling him all this?

"I think I know what you mean," he said.

I looked up in surprise.

"My parents get along fine… but I don't see them much. They're always down in the lab," he pointed to the door where his dad had appeared earlier.

"I see," I mumbled, taking another sip of coffee. The mug warmed my numb hands and made me feel a whole lot better. Danny obviously also had a knack for making the stuff, because it was one of the nicest I'd ever tasted. Not that I'd tell him that though. I'd already told him too much.

Suddenly I heard Danny gasp.

"What's wrong?" I looked at him.

He stood up hastily, "I… I need to go somewhere. I'll be back in a minute, Paulina."

Giving him a confused look, I watched him hurry out of the kitchen and back into the living room. The front door slammed shortly after and silence fell again, except the voices coming from the lab.

I decided it was OK to sit down at the table, so I pulled out a chair and took a seat, staring blankly at the table. Where would Danny go at 3am in the morning?

The noise level seemed to rise and I could hear shouts coming from the lab. Some other sounds started to become audible too – things like equipment being powered up and guns loaded. My eyes widened and I stood up, getting ready to leave if something dangerous happened.

The door to the lab burst open for a second time. This time when Jack emerged, a woman dressed in all blue followed him, her short brown hair flew back as the couple raced past me, completely ignoring my presence.

**Danny: That's if for chapter 3! **

**Me: Hope you guys all liked it! It was hard to make Paulina and Danny's conversation awkward but not awkward, if you know what I mean XD**

**Danny: Review and don't forget to check back tomorrow for chapter 4!**

**Me: Bye guys :3!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Me: Chapter 4 is here!**

**Danny: 4 is a nice number.**

**Me: I'm running out of things to say at the beginnings of chapters now…**

**Danny: So… on with the review replies?**

**Me: Yes! on with the review replies:**

**Sleepyreader13:** You reviewed just in time! I was about to post the chappie and you would have missed out XD Thanks for the review!

**Nycorrall:** Thanks! I like that you like it!

**SailorSea:** Here's the next update! Thanks for your feedback :3

**Esbmusic42:** Seriously, I really like you. When people take the time to give me a full-on review like that, I take the time to go through every little bit and take in as much information as I can. People like you help me so much with my writing. And I have written a chapter where Paulina alienates everybody! It's the one after this (I guess great minds think alike, huh?). Oh poo, I just gave away a spoiler **IGNORE THIS EVERYBODY! THERE ARE NO SPOILERS HERE, KEEP SCROLLING**! Thanks so much and I'm really glad you like it!

**Inuyuke:** Here it is Inu! And remember, WE FAIL!

**Oak Leaf Ninja:** Tomorrow is here! Enjoy!

The whole street was awake by the time I arrived outside. Everyone was indoors, but I could see lights switched on in every house and curious but frightened faces of young children looked out of the frosted windows.

A massive crash came from my left and I whipped round, startled.

Jack and his wife were there, firing huge silver and green guns at something which I couldn't see through the smoke. They seemed angry – and the thing they were shooting at obviously was too.

A large floating figure emerged from the fog and yelled something furiously at them. It barely took me seconds to realise that the creature that stood before them was a ghost – and a powerful one at that. His entire body was cased in a metal suit, with the scalp and chin burning brilliant green fire. Attached to armour was loads of different gadgets. Most of which, terrifyingly, were weapons. I'd seen the ghost around Amity Park a few times before, and where ever he appeared the Ghost Boy wasn't far behind.

Danny's parents stood their ground. The weapons they were holding looked extremely powerful and hard to use, but they held them perfectly like they were tennis rackets. Judging by the fact they were scientists, I guessed that they had made them themselves. So did that mean… they studied ghosts? The guns were firing the same kind of neon green blasts that Inviso-bill shot when he was fighting, and it seemed to have some kind of offensive effect on the metal ghost. Although it wasn't much of an effect to be honest, as the rays kept bouncing of his suit and hitting various things lying around in the road.

"Skulker!" I heard a boy's voice from behind me. It seemed to echo slightly, and I couldn't place it. But I knew I had heard it somewhere before – a number of times, in fact.

Then a black and white figure flew past me in a blur and shot himself straight at the metal ghost, causing a huge shockwave to ripple through the ground as they both hit the floor at maybe a hundred miles per hour.

"It's that annoying good-for-nothing Ghost Kid!" I heard Jack shout. His voice was slightly muffled in the amount of smoke and debris that had by now multiplied.

I coughed as I opened my eyes. Did he just say the Ghost Boy was here? Was it him that just flew past me?

Looking around, I saw Danny's parents close by back in their original defensive positions, ready to shoot again if needed. Danny's mum looked so angry she was almost snarling like a wolf. To put it lightly, it was disturbing.

I took a few steps back, nearer towards the moderate safety of Fenton's house. The door was still open and I could hear the TV droning on with a soda advert, which just unsettled the eerie silence even further.

The sky was beginning to get lighter now, the stars fading away into the sunrise – but only slightly. I could still only barely see a few feet in front of me and the street lamps were out. The smoke obscured my vision even further and sometimes I had to squint or blink quickly to get it out of my eyes.

A tired sigh came from somewhere in front of me and I saw a pair of bright green eyes pierce through the fog. I knew straight away that they belonged to Inviso-bill. No regular person could have eyes that were such a brilliant neon green.

He looked at me for a second and recognition flickered across the Ghost Boy's face, but it quickly vanished when Jack appeared with his gun pointed directly in the middle of his forehead. Neither of them said anything, but the look of pure hatred in the older mans' eyes told me exactly what he was thinking – he wanted Inviso-bill dead. Or at least… gone. Could ghosts be killed?

I barely had time to think about my own question when the Ghost Boy disappeared into thin air as quickly as he had emerged, leaving Jack to curse in frustration.

Danny's mum – or Maddie, as I thought her name was, said, "he's turned invisible again. Looks like the brat got away." She lowered her gun to her side and removed her red goggles, defeated.

"Paulina?" I felt a hand on my back, "are you OK?"

I spun round to see Fenton staring back at me. His face was blank, if not slightly serious, but his tone of voice told me he was somewhat concerned.

"Who was that guy?" I asked him, suddenly confident he would know if his parents studied ghosts. I was sure he would have picked some of the information up.

"Don't you know? That was Inviso-bill, idiot. Amity Park superhero? Popular with the ladies? Ring any bells?"

"No, I meant the other guy. The fat metal one," I tried my best to ignore his last comment. Danny was a lot more sarcastic than usual. Why wasn't he like that at school? It was the second time I had thought about that now.

"Oh, you mean _Skulker_," Danny chuckled slightly, "he thinks he's the best hunter ever, but the Ghost Boy always manages to catch him somehow. Ironic, really. The hunter is always the one being sealed up in a thermos, not the prey."

Thermos? Wasn't that used for soup? Now that I thought about it, Danny's father _was_ holding one earlier. So it could have been one of the Fenton's ghost-hunting inventions. But how and why would Inviso-bill get his hands on one?

"Skulker," I echoed, "that's a strange name. Although I heard someone shout it before that explosion."

"Meh," Danny replied nonchalantly, "I've heard weirder. It suits him though."

I shrugged, "I guess so."

"You want to come in and finish your coffee? Or have you decided to head home?" Danny wasn't looking directly at me anymore. He wasn't blushing like he used to when he saw me and I could tell his crush on me was gone and replaced with something else. What that was, I wasn't sure of. But I knew for certain it was something more complicated.

I continued to stare blankly into space, wondering if Dad was worrying about me at all. My hands were starting to get cold again and my breath was still visible but for some reason it didn't matter anymore.

"Paulina? You going to answer me?" Danny spoke again.

"Oh… um, yeah. Sorry, just thinking." I looked down at the floor, making a pile of snow with my boots. My toes were freezing to, even though I had a pair of thermal socks on. "If it's OK with you, I'll head back I think. I want to speak to my dad about some stuff. Sorry about not finishing the coffee. It was… nice," I said after another short pause.

"That's good," Danny replied awkwardly, "I think you should just do what girls do, y'know? Talk about their feelings and stuff?"

"That seems like a good idea," I said quietly, "but the problem is that I don't know _how_ I feel at the moment."

What was I doing? Pouring out everything to _Fenton, _of all people.

"Listen Fe- Danny, I'm just going to leave now, OK? I know the way home, 'cause I can see Casper from here and then it's easy from there." I turned round again and began to walk off, feet crunching in the snow occasionally and hands tucked in my coat pockets for warmth.

As I was walking, Danny muttered something inaudible from behind me. I knew I had made a mistake looking for the Ghost Boy and now I was paying the price – a nerd knew my situation. Not that it wouldn't be all over the news tomorrow, Mum always was. She'd probably even make the front page of a magazine, a gossipy one that noses its way into people's private lives and spews out all their secrets into the public world. I wanted people to know me just like they knew Mum, but not as much as that.

Yes, tomorrow _was_ going to be a hard day.

**Danny: That's all for today guys!**

**Me: Be sure to leave a review and the check back tomorrow for chapter…5 is it? Wow, this is going quick! The fic will be done in no time!**

**Danny: Bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Me: Who's ready for chapter fiiiiive?**

**Danny: I am I am I am I am I am I am I am I am!**

**Me: Well, let's make this quick, I'm in the middle of the last episode of FullMetal Alchemist…**

**Danny: Hayden, anime is your biggest distraction *sighs* here are the replies people!**

**Nycorall: **Here's the next one for you! Thanks for reviewing!

**Aslan333:** Thanks :)

**Oak Leaf Ninja:** Tomorrow is here! Enjoy ;)

**Esbmusic42:** Thanks for another lovely long review! Yeah, I'm sorry about that :( You see, I'm used to writing fics that are WAY longer than twelve chapters. So this was kind of a challenge for me. Therefore, I knew I had to put in some form of action in eventually, or someone else would start complaining. Can't please everybody, right? I hope this next chappie will do Paulina some form of justice though ;)

**Ckittykatty:** You're wondering about Shadow Ink? There's a notice on my profile about that :)

Inuyuke: Well, you're about to find out… *plays suspenseful music*

_**Christmas Present, Chapter 5**_

"Paulina!" I heard the familiar high, squeaky voice from the other end of the cafeteria. Just as I had expected, Star came rushing towards me, today's newspaper tucked under her arm and her lunch tray in her hands.

"Hey Star," I shuffled over to give her room to sit down.

"I heard – or read, actually – the news," she said, showing me the front page.

Just as I had been dreading, there it was. A picture of my mum in her best purple dress almost completely covered the front page, besides from the headline and the paper title, date and price. I knew what it was about, and I didn't want to read it.

"This sucks," I grumbled, picking at my sandwich.

"I feel sorry for you Paulina, I really do," Star's face was full of concern, but for some reason it sounded false to me.

"That's good then," I replied.

"So… what's gonna happen now? Are you gonna get all poor and stuff like Valerie? What's your dad's job?"

"I don't know what's going to happen Star, OK? Can we forget all this for a while, _please_?"

But I knew what I had just asked of her was impossible.

Looking up, I saw everyone in the room staring at me. The cheerleaders, the jocks, the nerds, the band geeks. _Everyone._ And when they found that I was looking back at them, they turned away and their loud, excited voices turned to hushed whispers. One or two of them glanced at me from time to time, but I stared at my food for the most part, too self-conscious to eat.

"Do you wanna go somewhere el-" Star faltered when she saw that I was already standing up.

"I will, but you just stay here, OK? I don't feel like talking right now, sorry," I said, moving away from the table and pushing past the crowd that had gathered around me. I had already put my sandwich back in my lunch bag.

I knew people were going to make a big deal out of this, and they did. Everything has to be expected when you're popular. People know everything about you, what you're doing, who you're with. Your whole life is in the public eye. And even more for Mum. Was that why she left Dad and me in the first place? Did she want to keep us away from all the reporters and journalists? Did she just leave to keep up _safe_?

My thoughts seemed brighter for a second. Did she still love Dad?

But you don't know that for certain, I told myself.

The hallway was empty apart from one or two people at their lockers. It was lunch on the last day of after all – everyone was having mini Christmas parties in free rooms or snowball fights outside. Why we only had one day of school this week though, I didn't know. Sometimes I felt the teachers just kept us in for their enjoyment.

I walked up to my own locker, unlocked it and it creaked open. Pictures of Inviso-bill pretty much filled every last piece of space. Some were taped to the inside walls of the locker, some were in bright pink photo frames and stood freely on top of my books.

I sighed. It had taken me ages to gather all of the memorabilia up, to decorate it and fit it into my locker. I had put my heart and soul into it. So why did it look so stupid and childish? I still admired the Ghost Boy – why did my locker look stupid to me now?

"Wow, I didn't know you liked Inviso-bill that much."

I turned round to see Danny behind me, hands in his pockets and staring at my locker.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, "Why aren't you having fun like everyone else? Mr Lancer says there's free food in room ten."

He shrugged. "I guess I just prefer sitting on the side-lines sometimes. I'm not that big on Christmas anyway."

"Really?" We were looking directly at each other now, "why not?"

"My parents always fight on Christmas," he explained, "about Santa usually." He chuckled, "it's a strange thing for adults to argue over."

I didn't get it. Why was Fenton telling me all this? I would understand it if he told that goth he liked, or the techno-geek. But me? Wasn't I the kind of person he hated?

When I didn't reply, he carried on speaking with a question, "how did your talk with your dad go last night?"

My eyes widened and I opened my mouth slightly. People asked those kind of thing to friends and family that they care about, not people that had manipulated them like I kind of did. But… how horrible was I to him in the first place? It was hard to tell when he seemed to have two personalities. One confident, cocky one that he started to show me when I was at his house and the nerdy, wimpy one that he puts on at school. Which one was the real him? Or was neither of them Danny? I didn't know him enough to be sure.

"He was asleep on the sofa when I got home," I laughed awkwardly, "I don't think he ever knew that I was gone, so I left it."

"Ironic," he said.

"Yeah," I agreed, then paused. What was I supposed to say next?

"Do _you_ like Inviso-bill, Danny?" I asked him.

_Idiot._ What kind of a question was that?

I turned away, embarrassed. That was something you asked your best friend at a sleepover, not a boy you'd barely spoken to for the past year in fear of losing your A-list status.

"I think he does a good job protecting the town." He shrugged, "I can't really be open about my opinion on ghosts, though. Mum and Dad hate them. Oh, and that reminds me," he pulled something out of his pocket, his hand clenched into a fist so I couldn't see what it was.

"You dropped this on your way back to your house yesterday," he uncurled his fingers to reveal my pink charm bracelet, "I tried to get your attention, but you carried on walking. I didn't think it would be a good idea to approach you in the cafeteria – I know people like you don't like to be seen hanging around with people like me – so I went to come and look for you instead when I saw you leave."

"Sorry about that, Danny." I took the bracelet from him. There were five charms on it – one of Inviso-bill (which was probably what reminded him of it), a diamond, a glass slipper, a black cat and a tiny mirror. Mum had bought it for me when I was four, and then I added the Ghost Boy charm later on.

"Thanks," I said, blushing slightly.

"That's alright."

Danny turned to leave and took a few steps forward, then paused. I could tell he was about to say something, but then he stopped.

"What's wrong?" I asked, putting the bracelet around my wrist.

"Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it. It's fine," Danny carried on walking and after a while he turned a corner in the hall and then was gone from view.

I reached for the biggest photo of Inviso-bill in my locker and pulled it out.

He was cute, definitely. That was what I always said to everyone else. But I really did love him. His eyes especially. They were a deadly but stunning shade of green. Although, if they were blue…

"What's that you're looking at, my dear?" I felt an icy gloved hand on my shoulder and I froze, not really wanting to turn round. Although I was completely still, I could feel myself shaking.

The person behind me seemed to pick up on that too, "why are you shivering? You're not scared of me, are you?"

He put his other hand on my other shoulder and turned me to face him.

I suppressed a scream.

His eyes were bright red that seemed to light his face up and add a shine to his black hair. And judging by his pale blue face, he wasn't human. He was a ghost, and a tall one at that.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Miss Sanchez" it felt like the ghost was going to kiss my hand, he voice so polite and silky, "my name is Vladimir Plasmius."

**Danny: Oh look! Here comes Vlad…**

**Me: Come on, we all love the Froot Loop, don't we?**

**Danny: … *to readers* just leave a review.**

**Me: What's got you all moody so quickly?**

**Danny: Vlad always steals my limelight whenever he's around :(**

**Me: Awww, sorry Danny. See you tomorrow, guys!**

**Danny: Bye…**


	6. Chapter 6

**Me: GUYSGUYSGUYSGUYSGUYS I AM SOOOOO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING!**

**Danny: Well, you should at least tell them why, Hayden. AND BE HONEST.**

**Me: OK, the truth. But first. I just realised in the last chapter I said I was on the last episode of Fullmetal Alchemist. It was the original series. Then I watched all 64 episodes of the Brotherhood version. And I still haven't posted another chapter. Holy Karate Noodles, I'm late! Anyway here's my (perfectly understandable) reason: I'm ill. Quite ill. But I'm getting better. Not to go into detail too much, I need to have therapy to get better. No, I'm not some kind of mentally-disturbed girl. It's just necessary, OK? I might seem crazy, but not like _that_. I'm also unable to use my laptop a lot, or I feel sick and chaos ensues again. It'll probably take me a day on and off to write this A/N. But I know I'll get better. The fact that I have so much to look forward to this year and all the support I get from my internet-buddies and stalkers helps. A lot. And sorry if my writing's dodgy, or if I forget something or whatever, but I can't really help it. It's hard… So I hope you can even try to forgive me. **

**Danny: Review… replies…**

**Me: Oh, and before I say that, I want to make an announcement. I am writing short drabble-y fics for characters like Sam, Tucker and Star that explain what they were doing during this fic. Like I said, I only have 12 chappies for this one and that isn't enough room. So hopefully that'll be up soon after this fic has ended.**

**Oak Leaf Ninja**: A spoon? Why would you want to eat a spoon? Well, let's hope you haven't eaten it yet…

**Inuyuke:** WHAT AN ADORABLE FLUFFEH SONG you got there :3 Here's the next one for you :)

**Nycorrall:** Hope you internet's working now (I've probably given you enough time in the hiatus XD)

**ckittykatty:** Nah, I don't have it all typed and ready, but I have girls at my school (DON'T ASK ABOUT THE GATHERING GRACE) that stalk me for updates and such.

**Sleepyreader13:** Hope this is what you consider soon :) HOLY UNDERGROUND FLYING PENGUINS are you the one who wrote Sounds in the Dark? I LOVE THAT! Could _you_ update that soon, just for me? :3

**XxhoneyleafxX:** Well, I did mean the original, but like I said, I've watched all of Brotherhood since I last updated (how awkward is that?). And why did you quit early? A lot of people say it's the best anime out there. I've seen a lot of Detective Conan :) It's what I watch when I'm bored (only 'cause there's so many eps)

**esbmusic42:** HUGS AND KISSES AGAIN! I love reading your reviews, they really help with my writing :) Hope you like this one…

**holospartoi258 - Alpha 01:** Thanks for the tips! I take everything into consideration and when people leave me lovely long reviews they really help :)

**jordylilly777:** HOPE THIS CHAPPIE'S GOOOOOOD XD

**HalfafanD:** I'll try :3

"Hello?"

"Excuse me?"

A small voice stirred at the back of my mind and I groaned, rolling over and waving my hand groggily in the air.

I felt someone shake me - gently though, not too hard.

"Hello?"

Their hands were freezing cold on my bare arms.

Shivering, I opened my eyes.

A small girl, probably no older than twelve or thirteen was sitting cross-legged beside me on top of the sheets. Her raven black hair was tied back into a long, tight ponytail with bangs left hanging in front of her face, and the clothes she wore were either too big for her, or just very, very baggy. It occurred to me for a second as I looked that I had seen her before, but the thought left my mind as I sat up.

"Why am I here?" I looked around. I was in a large bed covered in red silk blanket, with countless amounts of cushions around me. The room was a decent size too; a clean, well-polished window covered almost all of the left wall, and the other three were painted a very deep shade of crimson, with gold outlining just below the ceiling and slightly above the floor.

I didn't bother with the décor though – my head was pounding from my passing out.

"I expect Plasmius knocked you unconscious when he took you to Master," the girl said thoughtfully, "you probably have a headache."

I nodded slowly. I remembered now – Vlad Plasmius was the blue-skinned ghost that I saw just before I blacked out.

She shuffled backwards slightly to the edge of the bed to give me more room. Her face was far too serious for her age and looked like it had been cut once or twice – I could see faint pink lines across her cheeks and forehead that could have been scars. Her face seemed to be holding a constant slight scowl mixed in with a crooked smile and her bright, ice-blue eyes seemed like they belonged to someone slightly older, someone like…

"Dani," she said, holding out her hand.

"Excuse me?"

"Dani," she repeated again as I turned around and faced her, "My name's Dani. It's short for Danielle."

"That's a nice name," was all I could think of to say in my state, "I'm Paulina. Paulina Sanchez."

"I like that name too," she let out a small, soft giggle – finally, a bit of child-like behaviour, "it sounds Spanish. It's pretty."

Dani reached behind her and handed me some clothes.

"These are for you, Paulina," she told me, "Masters says you're to wear the outfits he chooses from now on."

"OK… but who is Masters?" I asked her, trying to keep myself calm. Waking up in an unfamiliar bed lying next to an unfamiliar girl with a headache the size of Jupiter definitely wasn't something you did every day.

"Masters is… my father," she hesitated during the sentence, "but I don't really like to call him that. I don't see him as a dad. I see him as a man who just provides a room for me and who cooks me meals. That's all."

"Yeah, but why did he bring me here?" I was more confused than frightened, "why kidnap me, knock me _unconscious_, and then put me in a king-sized bed covered in tons of expensive stuff?"

Dani shrugged, "That's just how Masters works."

We were silent for a moment as I tried to take everything in. My first though was obviously to escape, but something about Dani kept me from going just yet. And being the kind of kind of person I knew I was, I was intrigued by her father too. Even to myself that idea sounded crazy, but I had to know what the man wanted. And what of the girl's mother? I was just too curious to leave without finding out something, although I was mentally slapping myself for it.

"Hey… Paulina?" Dani's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know Danny Fenton?" She asked, a hint of shyness in her voice, "I saw Masters' records on you downstairs in the library and it said you go to Casper High."

I nodded, wondering what connection he had with her. "Why?"

"I've seen him around, is all," she replied, shrugging again.

"Does Masters have any connection with him?" I asked.

She hesitated.

"No… I don't think so."

Bingo.

Judging by that, Danny _did_ have some kind of connection to Masters. When I thought about it more, I remembered that that ghost (who probably worked for Masters), appeared not long after Danny left. He had just given me the bracelet.

The bracelet.

I checked both of my wrists. Sure enough, it was gone.

So Danny obviously had some kind of involvement with Dani's father. So… did that mean that all the nice things he had kind of said to me, albeit slightly awkwardly, were just to get me to get closer to him.? Masters must have known about my parents' divorce and used Danny to get straight to my weak spot.

I stopped my train of thought.

Was I getting ahead of myself? Probably. Was I making wild, shallow assumptions based on one piece of jewellery and a cup of coffee? Yes. That wasn't fair. I was acting just like Star, changing my opinion of someone based on a single bit of evidence that might even have had nothing to do with them. I had always done that.

But why did I always do that?

What influenced me to do that?

My head still throbbed.

"Is there anything I can get you Paulina?" Dani asked me when she heard me groan, "Masters won't be home for a while, and I know he'll want you for something. Everyone he brings to our house is somehow significant to him, but most of the time he doesn't reveal his reasons for a while. If I were you I wouldn't worry. It would just make your stay worse."

"Will… will I get out of here?" I questioned her, suddenly slightly nervous.

"I'm sure you will," she smiled a bit, "everyone else that's been here has."

"Good." I replied. It was time for my final few questions for her at that moment. I needed time to think things through a bit more to squeeze as much information out of her as I could – I could tell she was holding back on some things. Plus, I wanted something for the headache. She must have something for it, it was obviously a massive house.

"What time is it?" I asked her.

"Six o'clock."

"How long since I arrived here?"

"You were dropped here four hours ago."

Four hours ago was two o'clock. It was during lunch that I was taken by that tall and scary blue ghost with the unfitting silky voice that worked for Masters. So it must have taken an hour or two to get here from school.

Good.

I smiled, kind of menacingly like people do in the movies when they get a good idea.

I wasn't too far from home.

"Excuse me, Dani?" 

"Yeah?"

"Could you get me something for my head while I get changed? It hurts."

**Danny: So that's it for this one, guys :(**

**Me: Sorry for the shortness :(**

**Danny: Hopefully we'll update it soon :)**

**Me: Then we can all be happy :)**

**Danny: Please leave reviews :)**

**Me: Hope you liked all the twists 'n' stuff :)**

**Danny: And our insane overuse of smileys :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Me: Hey everyone!**

**Danny: Back for another chapter already? So soon?**

**Me: Well, I'm getting better and I've got my imagination back. I even watched something romance-y (which trust me, I don't usually do). **

**Danny: No… wait... you didn't watch-**

**Me: OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB! Oh yeah!**

**Danny: *facepalm***

**Me: I like the twins :3 Yes, yes I do.**

**Danny: *to readers* I better get on with the replies before the serious fangirling stars:**

**Black robin:** That's alright, I do like to please people :3

**Inuyuke:** Thanks Inu! Ugh, I think I've got something a bit like clinical depression, but not the same. My therapist won't tell me exactly what's wrong, he just talks to me a lot (which I guess they're supposed to do XD).

**Nycorrall:** Yay for the interwebs! Hopefully this one's a bit longer (too lazy to do a word count)

**Annabell99:** Here's another update, and thanks so much for your concern :)

**HouLoiMouGin:** Yeah, I know what you mean. But I only have twelve chapters for this one, so it's hard and I have to cram it all in, you know? And thanks for your concern, too!

**ckittykatty:** Here's another smiley for you :)

**Oak Leaf Ninja:** You can use smileys now, 'cause here's another update! :)

**Sincerely The Sign Painter:** Thanks :)

_**Christmas Present, Chapter 7**_

Nine days had passed since I had woken up in the red bedroom. I hadn't left it once so far – Dani told me Masters says I shouldn't, and besides, I was locked in – apart from going to the bathroom next door. But what I did see of the hall outside the room was interesting. It was all painted shades of green and gold with portraits and signed photos of a football team which I couldn't remember. Masters obviously enjoyed the sport, but with all the money he seemed to have, I sometimes wondered why he didn't just buy the team itself.

And even though he owned the very house I was staying (or, rather being held hostage) in, I hadn't seen him once. Danielle was with me almost constantly, but eventually our conversations had simmered down to small talk. I asked her about her father once or twice, but she never really answered properly. I got the feeling that she didn't like him much at all. It was hard to work out why though. Despite the news of my parents' divorce, I still _loved_ my father. Wasn't it human nature for one to love their parents? Or maybe Dani was adopted. I had no idea on the subject.

From my view out of the window, I could tell I was somewhere in the country. I guessed I was staying in the west wing of the house, with the driveway to left and the main entrance slightly further in front of that. If I ignored the fact I was being held here against my will, the mansion actually seemed quite a nice, peaceful place.

"Paulina?" I heard Dani's now familiar voice come from the other side of the door, "I brought you breakfast. Masters made you pancakes."

That was another funny thing about the man. According to Danielle, he did everything for me himself – fetch me new clothes, prepare my meals and such. It was a strange thing to do for someone that hadn't even properly met me face-to-face, and it made Masters seem even more suspicious. Whatever his motives behind it, I guessed I was most likely someone quite important to him.

I heard the sound of a key being put into a lock and a short, scrabbling sound, then the door opened with a small 'click' and Dani appeared with my first meal of the day arranged neatly on a tray. She was still wearing her usual t-shirt and shorts, but a thick bandage was wrapped all the way up her right arm, its edges reaching her wrist and shoulder.

"What happened to you?" I asked the younger girl as she made her way towards my bed.

"Oh, nothing," she replied with a quick smile, "just a little fall down the stairs, that's all."

She handed me the tray and I took it with a small nod of thanks, placing it on my lap. The pancakes were still warm with a sprinkle of lemon juice and sugar over the top, giving it a 'bittersweet' taste. I laughed in my head at my own pun. Masters, whoever he was, was a great cook.

As I was eating, Dani sat on the edge of my bed, watching the fountain just outside the window intently.

I took this opportunity to look at her wounded arm.

It was so thickly wrapped I couldn't tell if it was still bleeding or not, but it seemed to make it hard for her to bend her elbow and whenever she fidgeted slightly, I saw her wince in pain. It couldn't possibly have been 'just a fall down the stairs', that was for sure. But what was troubling me was the fact she didn't answer about it truthfully. She open about things most of the time, apart from a select few topics and subjects.

Suddenly, Dani jumped up, her un-bandaged hand reaching into her pocket.

"What's happened?" I asked.

"Jus' my phone," she said and walked out the room quickly, putting the device up to her ear and shutting the door with a small slam behind her.

To be honest, I didn't even know that Dani had a phone in the first place. And who would be calling her? No one seemed to visit, and she was obviously being home schooled, otherwise I wouldn't see her every other hour or so.

Based on that, I decided it was either Masters, or one of those 'abductees' that have been released that she had gotten particularly close to. But I started to doubt that it was the latter through, as my phone had been gone since the moment I first woke up here – no chance she'd be able to get my number, and most likely not the others, either.

Thinking of the others, I wondered if anyone else was being held here. Dani hadn't mentioned it, so I couldn't be sure.

Sighing to myself, worrying about how many more questions I had to ask than answers I knew, I finished my breakfast in silence and waited for Danielle to come back in. I knew she was outside the door – I could hear mumbling coming from the other side.

I just managed to make out a "Yes, of course. Bye," from the girl before the door opened again and she came back in, shoving the phone back in her pocket.

"What were we talking about again?" Dani asked, pulling the chair out from under the desk and sitting down.

"Nothing," I replied, taking a final sip of my orange juice, "you were just staring out the window."

"Is that so?" She said. "Oh, anyway, Masters says he's bringing another person to the house, if you wanted to know. It was my father I was on the phone to."

"Really?" I perked up a bit, "Who?"

"I didn't catch the name," Dani said, surprisingly hesitantly. I ignored it, not wanting to add another problem to my mental list.

"Oh… well, how long till they get here?" I asked.

"He's coming in a few hours, just before lunch," she answered, "I'll introduce him to you."

"That would be nice, thank you Danielle."

Those 'few hours' passed by at a fairly average rate, with me playing a board game with Dani and flicking through a couple of books she had brought me from the library downstairs.

Just after the clock chimed eleven thirty, Dani got another phone call from Masters, telling her to meet him downstairs.

"Can I come?" I asked the girl, closing my book.

Danielle shook her head. "No, sorry," she replied, "Masters told me he doesn't want you out of the room yet, but he'll allow you a visit from the boy he brought here shortly."

Good. She told me he had said 'yet', which meant he was obviously going to let me out of here sooner or later. And maybe I could form an escape plan with that boy I would meet soon? Would he be brave enough to do such a thing? I was sure, with Masters' likely high budget, he could afford a decent security system.

With a mutter of "see you in a minute", Dani put down her own book and got up to leave, closing the door and carefully locking it behind her.

I stood up in the middle of the room, wondering what I should do while I waited. Judging by what Danielle had just said, she wouldn't be long fetching the boy.

Shrugging, I picked up my book again and continued reading.

It wasn't long at all before I heard multiple footsteps getting closer to the door to my room and the muffled sound of people talking as it travelled through the wall.

I closed my book for probably the hundredth time that day and looked curiously at the door as it opened.

Danielle was standing in front of the boy, but as she took a step to the side I could see clearly who he was.

…and he wasn't who I was expecting at all.

**Danny: … Hayden, I think that's the biggest cliffy you've left the readers with for this fic. You'd better update soon**

**Me: I know, I'm trying my best. **

**Danny: Until next time, everyone!**

**Me: (Just realised I finished Ouran, watched Deadman Wonderland and got halfway through Pandora Hearts between the pre-chappie A/N and the post-chappie A/N. Wow, I watch a lot of anime). Bye guys! Reviews are always appreciated!**


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone,

I've put this on all my fics now because I want everyone to see it. My writing has improved a lot, and I want to rewrite all my stories, and the best way for me is to start a new account and begin working on the ones with which I get the most response. I'm not going to drag on about my reasons.

Basically, if you want this fic right here updated, put a vote in on my profile. I'll take priority with the ones that get the most, although I can guarantee that no matter how long it takes, they'll all eventually go up, rewritten in all their glory.

My new username is Gilbert's Left Arm, and there is one fic up there for the Pandora Hearts fandom which me and my friend have written based on a roleplay we did together. Enjoy that if you like. But, for now, please tell me what you want to see redone, and then updated. I hate letting people down.


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